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Friday, September 12, 2014

Elite Playmaker Adds More Skill to 2016 Recruit Class [UPDATED]

Photo by Dan HicklingTerriers have added another highly-skilled forward
to the 2016 recruit class. Avon Old Farms center Patrick Harper tweeted his
verbal earlier today. A 5-8, 145 left-shot from New Canaan, Conn., Harper is
regarded as an “elite playmaker” with a high hockey IQ.

Extremely proud and excited to announce that I have committed to play my college hockey at Boston University #Goterriers#BU
— Patrick Harper (@Pharper_88) September 12, 2014

RE: Harper, great get for BU - quick stride,
evasive, good vision, great hands. Competes for the puck and looked great
against 96s & 97s.— mbilotta (@mbilotta) September
12, 2014

Nightmarishly talented group of 98 forwards
headed to BU. Clayton Keller, Hank Crone, Kieffer Bellows, now they add another
in Harper.— Over The Boards (@OTBPuckWatch) September
12, 2014

This will be Harper’s first season with the Winged
Beavers. Until the prep schedule begins, he’s been skating up a level with the
Mass Tier 1 18U Neponset Valley River Rats and leads the team in scoring with a
6-10-16 line. Following the River Rats’ victory in the Tier 1 Labor Day Faceoff’s
championship game, OverTheBoards.net gave Harper a “can’t miss” rating and
added:

In-season with
Rockets U-19 and Select 16's in Durham, June 2014: Elite playmaker who makes other
players better with his enterprising hockey mind despite loving to have the
puck. Slick player in all three zones: great hands, great feet and great
offensive feel for the game. His hands are probably his most notable asset:
capable of turning defenders inside out, but also capable of retaining possession
as the play develops. Not the biggest player on the ice, but able to shift his
weight and get off the center line when defenders try to take him out with a
body check. Because of his quick stride, when he winds it up it can be tough to
catch him. Good vision as a center – distribution is
an under-appreciated aspect of his game because he does so much by
himself.

Tier 1 Faceoff,
September 2014: He
looked like a premier talent within his own age group and retained that title
playing against opposition two years his senior. At times, he dominated the
game and left defenders scratching their heads at how he did the things he did.
Went up against taller and stronger players but still found ways to emerge from
scrums with the puck. Was tasked with playing center here and had no problems
keeping up with the pace of play, even getting ahead of it at times. He’s a
player, this one.

Last season, Harper played up
with the New Jersey Rockets 19U squad, producing 13 goals and 16 assists with 2 PIMs and a
+23 in 24 games. In 2012-13, he skated for the
Connecticut Oilers 16U team where he was a teammate of fellow 2016 recruit
Johnny McDermott. Rockets' Head Coach and Director of Player
Development Bob Thornton points out:

"Harper
is a slippery-fast, elusive and skilled forward with great control of the puck
and a nose for finding the net. He had great chemistry on our first PP unit
with (A.J.) Drobot, (Ryan) Swain, (Chad) Krys and (Cam) Dineen. Because of his
vision and speed, he has the potential to be a very good player for BU. He also
has great upside and will only get better over the next few seasons before he
sets foot onto the BU campus."

At
the Fall 2013 College
Cup event, USHR rated Harper as the fourth best performer, one spot behind
McDermott.

4.
Patrick Harper, F,
5-7/135 (Stamford Sharks) ’98 – The only ’98 birth year on a strong Sharks
team, Harper lets his hands and vision speak for themselves. Scored a
creative breakaway goal with a Patrick Kane-like stop move to open the scoring
against the Gulls. Despite his size he wins his fair share of battles
because of his IQ and understanding of body positioning. Will have a nice list
of schools to choose from in the near future.

►Freshman Jack Eichel
and 2015 recruit Jordan Greenway will skate for Team Grier in the All-American Prospects Game. Team rosters were announced for the game that will be played in Buffalo
on Sept. 25.Head coach Mike Grier was an
All-American forward at BU, member of the Terriers' 1995 national championship team and played 15 seasons in the NHL. He'll be assisted by Don Granato, who is the
head coach of the NTDP U-18's. Eichel heads the
list of top Division 1 freshman skaters compiled by The Hockey Writers.

►BU has released
an updated game schedule with puck drop times listed.

2015 recruit Charlie
McAvoy didn’t make the score sheet in either of the NTDP U-18's games against
USHL teams in last weekend’s USHL
Atlantic Challenge.But he made a
strong impression with his play on Team USA’s blueline. SB Nation’s Jeff Cox
opined:

"McAvoy was on
the first defensive pairing along with Penn State recruit Steve Ruggiero in
both games for the NTDP. He's a fluid skater who really moves well in all three
zones. He's aggressive and challenges opposing forwards. He's physical, but
doesn't take himself out of the play to make unnecessary hits. He has
tremendous vision, which allows him to start the breakout as well as whip the
puck around the offensive zone on the power play. He and Muskegon defenseman
Joe Cecconi (Michigan recruit) were by far the two best defensemen present at
the USHL Atlantic Challenge."

Looking back

Last year’s Terrier
captain, Garrett Noonan is on the Predators roster for the 2014 Nashville Rookie Tournament. Squads from the Bruins, Panthers
and Lightning will also participate in the event beginning Sept. 13.

Former Terrier
blueliner Ryan Whitney (photo) told The Patriot Ledger that he’s open to playing overseas this season. Last year, the Scituate
native spent most of the season with the San Antonio Rampage, the Panthers’ AHL
affiliate.

The San Jose Sharks
will be looking for Matt Nieto to build upon his strong rookie season (10G,
14A), according to Blades
of Teal and Examiner.com(with Nieto slide show)

Hockey Buzz has compiled a list, by school, of all college players
who have played for Stanley Cup champions. Six former Terriers have raised the
Cup on the ice.Both newly appointed BU
Director of Hockey Operations Scott Young (1991 Penguins, 1996 Avalanche) and Jay
Pandolfo, recently named by the Bruins as a player development coach, (2000, '03
Devils) have their names on the Cup twice. The other four: Shawn McEachern
(photo) (1992 Penguins), Ed Ronan (1993 Canadiens), Chris Drury (2001 Avalanche) and Joe DiPenta
(2007 Ducks).

Women’s Team

Kerrin Sperry, a
four-year standout in goal for BU and the backbone of three Hockey East
championship teams, remains at BU while pursuing a Master’s degree. She’s also still
wearing Scarlet as a member of BU’s field hockey team. Details from The
Daily Free Press.